Combined fan and air cleaner



Jan.'20, 1931. (3. Y. KNIGHT 1,789,871

COMBINED FAN AND AIR CLEANER Filed Aug. 21, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TOR.

Jan. 20, 1931.

0. Y. KNIGHT COMBINED FAN AND-AIR CLEANER Filed Aug. 21, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

CHHRLES Y. K IQHT BY Patented Jan. 20, 1931 UNITEDISTATES 1 FICBE CBARIJS Y. KNIGHT, I PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE WILLYSOVER LAND COMPANY, OF TOLEDO, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO COMBINED my arm AIizcLEA ER.

Application filed August 21, 1925. ser'ialno. 51,544.

This invention relates to air cleaners and more particularly to a combined air cleaner 1, and cooling fan used in conjunction with an internal combustion engine.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide an air cleaner for delivering air that is substantially free from particles of dust or-abrasive material. 1

Another object of the invention is to provide an air cleaner for an internal combustion engine that will deliver air without introducin sage of t e air;

Another object of the invention is to provide a combined air cleaner and cooling fan for-an internal combustion'engine, that will vdeliverclean air in amounts commensurate with the enginerequirement's.

A further object of the invention is to pro-v vide a combined cooling fan and air cleaner, thatis easily accessible for cleaning and re pairing.

Other objects relating to details of construction and economies of manufacture, will appear fromthe description to follow covering certain embodiments of the inventlon, which, for the purposes of the present application, I haveillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure I is a front elevation of the combined fan and air cleaner.

Fig. II is aside elevation showing'th'e position of the combined fan and cleaner, with reference to a radiator, the receiving air casing being shown'in section.

Fig. III is a front view of the air recelving casing and fan pulley but With the fan blades removed. r

Fig. IV is aside elevation of thecleaner screen showing the radial ribs. v Fig. V.is a front view of a screen used with& modified form of the invention. Fig. VI is a side elevation'partly in section of a modified form of the invention with the screen shown in Fig. V secured-t0 the fan hub.

Fig. VII is a front view of the fan shown in Fi' VI.

-Fig. VIII is a view partly in section; of the fan spindle shown in .Fig. VI, illustrating hub a 'material'resistance to the pas the eccentric mounting used inadjusting the fan'pulley. I p

Referring'to the drawings'fin whichthe same numerals denote the same. parts throughout the several views, Ihav'e illustrated a rotating fan, having blades 2, driv en by any suitable means through belt 3 which passes-over pulley 4. Fans ofthe' type shown are frequently used in connection with the cooling system of an internal combustion engine and Fi the position 0 the cooling radiator 5being shown' in broken lines. Fan 1 is preferably located behind and adj acent' to radiator 5 so that air may be drawn therethrough asindi re II illustrates I such a use,

cated by arrows A. Rotation ofthe'fan is permitted by freely mounting it onshaft 6 which is secured-in eccentric block 8"by mu; 7 (see Fig..VIII). Eccentric block "Sis rotatable inIsupport 9 and serves to adjust" the ment is attained eccentric 8 may be locked in position by screw 11., H

A screen 12, prefet ably formed'ofmetal fabric, is fastened to the fan by any suitable tension of belt 3'. After thddsired adjustmeans, suchas nut 13, so as to rotate with the fan and.present its flatsurface-normal' -to the airstreamflndiated by arrows A. [Although it is not essential to my invention broadly, Imay fixedly mounton screen '12 radial ribs 14f, which ,is e rve thejdu'al purpose of 'defleoting'heavier' than air particles of material outwardly from the air stream, and acting as auxiliaryfa'n blades to draw air 'through'radiaton5n) Immediately'behind"fan l is an airmen ing casing'15, which is held imposition adj'acent'the'rea r edge of fan blades 2 by'braekets '16 secured to support 9 by rivets. 17. Casing 15 is closely fitted around shaft '6 and pulley a and has an opening 10 to permit Ibelt 3 to operate the fan. An outlet connection 18 communicating with the interior of casing 15 directs the air-passing throughcthe screen toward the engine carburetorfnot shownlyor other parts where clean air is desired, it being understood that a suitable conduit is to be-attached to conne'c'tionlS.

a The operation of the combined fan and'air cleaner described is as follows. Rotation-of I action upon the dust particles is increased.

The form of the invention shown in F igures V. VI, VII and VIII differs from the form previously described, in that screen 19 secured to fan 1 is smaller in diameter and covers the entrance to an annular passage 20 in fan hub 21. Casing 22 secured to support 9 surrounds the rear portion of hub 21 and is spaced therefrom to allow for adjustment of belt 3 by eccentric 8, the effective opening of the annular s ace between casing 22 and hub 21 being re uced by projecting the casing 22 forwardly so as to'have its opening adjacent flange 23, on hub 21. Spokes 24 are provided within passage 20 to strengthen the hub and to act asauxiliary fan blades for drawing air through the passage. Ribs 25 may be secured to screen 19 and serve to assist the screen in deflecting heavier than air particles away from the passage and to direct clean air through screen 19 and passage 20.

It may be seen from the preceding description that I have provided a combined fan and air cleaner in which the screen, by reason of its normal position with respect to the air stream, will not change the original direction of the air and that all heavier than air particles of material will be deflected at right angles to the air stream to points where ample space is available for their reception and disposition.

While I have shown somewhat in detail certain embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that this showing and description are illustrative only, and that I do not regard the invention as limited to the details of construction illustrated and described, except insofar as I have included such limitations within the terms of the following claims, in which it is my intention to claim all novelty inherent in my invention, broadly as fell as specifically.

I claim:

1. In a combined fanand air cleaner, a rotating fan, a fan hub having an air passage 'therethrough, a screen attached to'said fan for covering the entrance of said passage, means for causing air to pass through said passage, a receiving casing for directing air from said passage, said casing being adjacent said hub and in spaced relation thereto, and a flange on said hub for bridging the space between said hub and easing.

3. In a combined fan and air cleaner, a

rotatable fan having blades, a screen attached to the front side of said fan, near the center thereof, in such a manner as to leave the ends of the blades projecting beyond the screen, a stationary casing adjacent the rear of said fan for receiving the portion of the air stream from said fan which passes through said screen, radial dust deflectors secured to said screen extending beyond the inner opening of thecasing and said casing being-arranged so that the remainder of the air stream passes over the outside surface thereof.

4. In a combined fan and air cleaner, a rotatable fan having blades, a screen attached to the front side ofsaid fan near the center thereof in such a manner as to leave the ends of the blades projecting beyond the screen, a stationary casing adjacent the rear side of said fan for receiving only that portion of the air stream from said fan which passes through said screen, and means for deflecting particles of solid material out of the portion of the air stream passing through said screen and into the remainder of the air stream.

5. In a combined fan and air cleaner, a rotatable fan having blades, :1 screen attached to the front side of said fan near the center thereof in such amanner as to leave theends of the blades projecting beyond the screen,'a

stationary casing adjacent the'rear side of said fan for receiving only that portion of the air stream from said fan which through said screen, and radio vanes secured to the front side of said screen to deflect solid screen and said hub, and the remainder there-,

of passes over the outer surface of said lrub, means within said hub to assist in impellmg air therethrough, and a casing adjacent the rear open end of said hub for receiving the screened air. In testimony whereof, I aflix m signature.

CHARLES Y. NIGHT. 

